


Family Meetings

by ForgottenChesire



Series: Christmas 2020 [1]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Protective Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28322700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgottenChesire/pseuds/ForgottenChesire
Summary: Leonard has his head resting on Spock’s shoulder. His padd split between coursework and a medical journal. It’s peaceful. The warmth of his apartment and the weight of Leonard against his side. His lips twitch into a smile as he listens to Leonard grumbling under his breath, red marks appearing on the medical journal. It reminds him of the debate that his Leonard got into with Doctor Boyce at the end of the lecture they attended together.“Fascinating,” he corrects, “they care for you deeply.”That gets him more grumbles, Leonard snuggles more firmly into his chest, the hand holding his squeezing and giving of nothing but love and affection.
Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock
Series: Christmas 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074215
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	Family Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Christmas present for a friend of mine. Merry Christmas love, hope you have a pleasant one!~
> 
> Also if the relations of this huge family I've given McCoy is confusing let me know. I've been evolving it for literally years and know them by heart xD

Leonard stares at his family, the ones directly in front of him and those watching him from comm screens. Josephine, as the oldest McCoy at the academy, started a goddamn video conference. Which isn’t surprising. Hollis is a fucking tattletale, always has been. Must have tattled on him about the  _ xenoracial sensitivity _ course. He glares at her from his place next to Jim. His older sister doesn’t look repentant in the least, snuggled into Volil, for being the cause of this impromptu gathering of McCoy’s. Atticus, the oldest of them, smiles.

“Now, don’t glare like that. Yer face will stick in that scowl. We just wanna know about your boyfriend. Don’t be shy, tell us about him?”

Leonard’s brain slows to a stop. All but shutting down as he tries to redirect his thoughts from defending himself, and really Volil had defended him awesomely a month and a half ago, to this new subject. A subject he hadn’t expected when Jolene, his oldest nibling at the academy, had crooned out; “Leeeeeeenard, yous got some explaining to do,” in a horrible old sitcom star accent.

“Him?” Leonard parrots just to make sure he hadn’t misheard. Hoping that he had.

Delilah, hellraiser that she is, leans forward. Her nose almost brushing the camera lense on her comm unit. Her wife, Rumi, is laughing in the background.

“Esme says she caught you two swapping spit!”

Leonard splutters denial on his lips as he turns to his niece. His darling niece who’s looking at him with the most butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth innocent look. She bats her eyes at him, elbow jabbing into her twin brother’s, Edric, ribs.

“No,” he says decisively. Head shaking and foot tensing for a stomp he won’t give into.

“No?” Owen, soul sucking-Heath could do better-almost sides with my evil ex sister-in-law-lawyer Owen, repeats lifting an eyebrow in a purely McCoy fashion.

“No! Y’all ain’t digging into my romantic life!”

And that is the moment that Jim decides to stab him in the back. Jim opens his big traitor mouth and Leonard knows that he’s doomed.

“Aw come on, Bones, tell them about Instructor Spock.”

Josephine’s smile turns absolutely shark like. Leonard contemplates murder. Nyota will help him kill Jim at least.

“No! Don’t y’all fucking dare!”

He, however, has a sinking feeling that the four, five if you count the traitor, here at the academy are most certainly going to fucking dare.

* * *

Spock is not one to fall into paranoia. No anxiously glancing over his shoulders at shadows. Such things are illogical and emotional. Neither of which he is. And while he is on guard for shovel talks from “nosy bastards who mean well” the slight apprehension that he feels right now doesn’t fit. Cadet Reeds, the one who is on the communications track with Nyota stands before him.

She’s been bumping into him all week, making polite small talk before melting into the crowd whenever Doctor— Leonard appears. A strange occurrence that makes no sense. He understands why security track Cadet McCoy watches his every move the few times he has spotted her while on a date with Leonard. But he does not understand Cadet Reeds motivation.

“Instructor Spock, may I have a word?”

Spock inclines his head.

“Of course, Cadet Reeds.”

They step off the walkway to avoid causing a congestion as students and instructors both hurry by. The young woman tilts her head like an inquisitive bird.

“You make my uncle very happy.”

The words are soft. Spoken with care.

“In the time that you have been seeing each other he has been increasingly happy.”

She reminds him of a young Vulcan or, when her smile turns sharp, a politician.

“I hope he stays that way.”

“Cadet Reeds-“

“Got a big ole family wanting the best for him. And so far, you seem to be fitting the bill.”

She gives him the ta’al, something that Leonard still struggles with and must- as humans say- rub him raw, and like the other times manages to blend into the crowd.

“Fascinating.”

* * *

Two days later Cadet McCoy makes her move. She attempts to corner him in the library and he allows her to. Curious if she’s about to give him a ‘shovel’ speech as well. Before she has a chance to say anything Spock hears the soft crackle of an ear piece comm.

_ “Remember, ask him how old he is. Vulcans live for a long time! He could be older than Uncle Len!” _

_ “Is he an only child? Do you think he’ll be able to handle all of us or run o-f-t like Clay?” _

Cadet McCoy cracks her neck and proceeds to ignore the mounting questions her long distance assistants toss out.

“You’re a Vulcan.”

“Indeed.”

“And an Instructor.”

Spock nods.

“Ain’t that a bit hinky? Bit of an imbalance there don’t you think?”

“Negative.”

His voice is library appropriate but harsh. Eyes narrowing.

“Leonard is not a student of mine. Nor would I ever use my strength to force him to do anything. And if I did I have no doubt that he could incapacitate me.”

Leonard often keeps a few streamline hypos on him. And while on a normal human they’d be life saving with his unique composition they’d be harmful to Spock. This seems to be the right thing to say as she smiles. Warm. Friendly. And switches the topic to, strangely, his favorites from food to music.

_ “This is boring! Ask him about Vulcan weddings. I’m tired of getting the runaround from Uncle Volil and Uncle Len.” _

_ “No! Get to the heart of the matter, ask him his intentions toward Uncle Len!” _

_ “Hey… is he cute?” _

He knows that he isn’t supposed to be hearing the exchange. Vulcan bearing granting him the dubious privilege. But the question and the resulting positive hum makes his ears warm.

_ “Waylon! Jolene has better things to ask. Remember daddy had a list. Like is he nice, and is he smart. We don’t want another you-know-who.” _

His mother once mentioned that his human grandfather pulled his father off to the side for four hours one day. Idly he wonders if that talk was anything like this.

“My intentions are pure. I greatly value your uncle’s time and affection. He is dear to me.”

There are rapid fire words and sounds that remind Spock of tribbles. Cadet McCoy nods her head thoughtfully. Then she gives him a sheepish look.

“Sorry bout all of this. I was content to wait until you fucked up to intervene. Uncle Len is a grown ass man. But daddy gets anxious when the aunts and uncles are involved.”

_ “I’m telling daddy you implied he’s a worrywart.” _

_ “He is, Loretta and don’t try to deny it.” _

The conversation after that is relaxed and entertaining as Cadet McCoy, call me Jolene please, fields questions from her siblings.

* * *

His encounter with the other Cadet Reeds involves no talking. Instead, Cadet Reeds sees him and then proceeds to throw the test that Spock was asked to supervise. Spock knows the cadet purposely failed the test, at least if Spock was the actual grading instructor he would have, because the young man looked directly in his eyes as he managed to overload the system of the test door causing it to slam shut with enough force to harm a full Vulcan. 

* * *

“Your Family is…”

“Frustrating? Sanity destroying? Nosy?”

Leonard has his head resting on Spock’s shoulder. His padd split between coursework and a medical journal. It’s peaceful. The warmth of his apartment and the weight of Leonard against his side. His lips twitch into a smile as he listens to Leonard grumbling under his breath, red marks appearing on the medical journal. It reminds him of the debate that his Leonard got into with Doctor Boyce at the end of the lecture they attended together. 

“Fascinating,” he corrects, “they care for you deeply.”

That gets him more grumbles, Leonard snuggles more firmly into his chest, the hand holding his squeezing and giving of nothing but love and affection.

“Still too damn nosy.”

“As you say.”

* * *

Cadet Kirk is a nuisance and tests a great deal of Spock’s emotional control. The cadet that Captain Pike speaks highly of is all but plastered to Leonard’s back. All but scent marking the other man and Leonard is allowing it. Kirk touches the back of Leonard’s hand.

His hands flex. Something snaps.

“Spock! Goddamnit you pointy eared danger magnet!”

He looks down at his hand. At the broken glass and cringes. There is yelling. Spock has come to realize that the more the good doctor cares about a patient the louder he is. So the near deafening:

“Stay the fuck there!”

Is heartening to hear. Cadet Kirk is staring at him. Some guilt in his eyes.

“You were supposed to… not? hurt yourself? Like yeah I wanted a reaction so I could talk to you alone? But not that.”

“My apologies.”

Cadet Kirk grins.

“Alright, I like you. You’ll be great for Bones. I’ll try to keep you safe from most of the horde.”

It’s on the tip of his tongue to tell Cadet Kirk that is unnecessary when Leonard comes back.

“Jesus H Christ man, what do you have against the well being of your hands?”

The fond look Kirk gives them silences any harsh words. It’s too close to how Sybok used to look at him.

* * *

According to Jim and Jolene both there is only one more family member on campus. 

“Don’t mean the others won’t drop in. You gotta understand, Leonard is the baby. He’s younger than some of his niblings. Makes the ‘grown folk’ touchy.”

Spock has a feeling the niblings are happy that they are no longer the focus of the familial curiosity and concern. He meets this last member two weeks after his talk with Cadet Reeds.

He comes into his office to find her sitting in front of his desk. She’s reading something on her padd as he sits down. He knows this woman. 

“Instructor Reeds.”

“Nee McCoy,” she says with a wink looking up from her padd. 

He can see the resemblance. The slope of the nose, the height of the cheekbones. When she grins he sees where the cadets get theirs from.

“Now, I like you. Liked you when you were a cadet and Chris wouldn’t shut up about you and how he wanted you on his ship. Liked you when you became a fellow instructor.”

She leans back in the chair.

“And so long as you don’t do anything unforgivably stupid I’ll keep on liking you. Heartbreak and breakups are part and parcel to life so I’m not going to threaten you. Not going to demand that you never break his heart,” she pauses. Hands go behind her head as she takes him in.

“But if you cheat on him, I’ll make the damage a Klingon Bat'leth does look like a paper cut.”

“Understood.”

“Good! Now Captain Pike wants me to make sure that your hand to hand is up to snuff before the five year mission. Teaching makes us soft. Found a great opponent for you. Later.”

If his mother were here she’d call the woman who just left a hurricane. But she is not and so Spock just sits there. He knew humans were emotional. He has come to appreciate and enjoy said emotionalism. His hand searches for his comm unit. Wanting to call his mother to confirm his hypothesis that he has been accepted by Leonard’s family. Only… it’s not his well cared for comm that he pulls out. Pitted, scratched and otherwise abused Leonard’s comm rests in his hand.

“This is most unfortunate.”

* * *

He should have known that the comm he answered wasn’t his when it didn’t play a techno version of that song about the devil and Georgia. He should have known that it didn’t feel right. Too smooth. But he had slept in; the warmth of a Vulcan friendly apartment reminding him of Georgia and soothing him into a deep sleep. If he doesn’t hurry up he’s going to be late and Doctor Antonal is the supervising today and the man hates his fucking guts. So he answers with a terse;

“Doctor McCoy speaking.”

There is silence on the other end of the phone and Leonard frowns.

“Hello? Anyone there. I swear to god, Jim-”

“My apologies,” a smooth voice cuts him off before he can really gear up into a proper strop.

“I’m trying to reach my son. Spock.”

Leonard nearly trips over his feet as he pulls the comm away from his ear and cusses up a blue streak.

“But I am so very glad that caught you.”

He knows that tone of voice. It’s the one his momma used when she caught him and Hollis with their hands in the cookie jar. His back straightens out of instinct alone.

“My son has spoken very highly of you.”

“He has?”

He’s not blushing.

“Including your colorful language. And I have some… worries.”

“Ma’am?”

He is almost to the ER and he can see Christen just a head.

“You are very human. And while I would love to see him embrace a little more of me in him, I love him as he is.”

“I would-”

“If you were to deny him because he is Vulcan-”

“What-”

“I may be light years away but,  _ Doctor _ McCoy, I shall put the fear of hellfire into your very soul should you make my boy feel anything but the best.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

“Good.”

He’s not entirely sure how he ends up promising to call Lady Amanda his next day off but he does and oh god, the ambassador also wants to talk to him.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
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End file.
